The Crossbill Team
The Centre has informed Parliament that the dramatic fall in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana this year has not translated into clean air for Delhi-NCR, underscoring that the region’s pollution crisis is shaped by a far wider range of sources.
Responding to a starred question raised by MP Charanjit Singh Channi, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) disclosed that between September 15 and November 30, 2025, Punjab registered 5,114 farm fire incidents and Haryana 662.
These numbers mark an almost 90% reduction compared with 2022, though the government did not explain why the comparison was not made annually, as in previous years.
The government described the decline as evidence of substantial progress in crop residue management. Since 2018-19, more than Rs 3,120.16 crore has been provided to the two states for crop residue management (CRM) machinery.
Over 2,60,000 machines have been supplied to farmers and more than 33,800 custom hiring centres created. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has mandated rent-free access to these machines for small and marginal farmers, while brick kilns and thermal plants outside the NCR have been encouraged to switch to paddy-straw biomass pellets and briquettes. These efforts, the ministry said, are aimed at cutting down open burning and promoting alternative uses of agricultural waste.
But even with these interventions, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Parliament that Delhi-NCR’s air pollution remains a “multifaceted” challenge, with stubble burning acting only as an “episodic” aggravating factor. Vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants, construction and demolition dust, waste burning, landfill fires and seasonal meteorology all play major roles, he said.
This acknowledgment signals a key shift: despite the fall in farm fires, air quality in the capital and its surrounding districts continues to be shaped by a complex mix of emissions that require sustained, sector-wide action.
The government also pointed to improvements in long-term air-quality indicators, citing 200 “good days” and fewer “very poor” or “severe” days in 2025. Yet these aggregate figures do not reflect the intense, short-duration spikes that residents experience during peak pollution episodes. Averages from monitoring stations can obscure sharp local contrasts — central Delhi may record “moderate” AQI while roadside or construction-heavy spots simultaneously reach “severe” levels, or fall outside active AQI monitoring altogether, as highlighted in a Newslaundry investigation.
Moreover, the reference period covers the entire year, not just the post-monsoon months of October and November when smog routinely worsens.
As a result, seasonal highs get diluted by cleaner-air months. Meteorological patterns — including winter wind stagnation and temperature inversions — can also make brief periods feel particularly toxic despite broader improvements.
According to the ministry’s reply, “severe” (AQI above 401) and “very poor” (301–400) days decreased from 71 in 2024 to 50 in 2025, while “good days” (below 200) rose from 110 in 2016 to 200 in 2025. But this still leaves room for many days in the “poor” category (AQI 201–300), a band the government did not mention in its parliamentary response.
Independent reporting has also shown that pollution peaks remain extremely intense: a Hindustan Times analysis found AQI readings spiking above 700 in parts of Delhi after Diwali — far beyond the “severe” threshold of 400.
Responding to a starred question raised by MP Charanjit Singh Channi, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) disclosed that between September 15 and November 30, 2025, Punjab registered 5,114 farm fire incidents and Haryana 662.
These numbers mark an almost 90% reduction compared with 2022, though the government did not explain why the comparison was not made annually, as in previous years.
The government described the decline as evidence of substantial progress in crop residue management. Since 2018-19, more than Rs 3,120.16 crore has been provided to the two states for crop residue management (CRM) machinery.
Over 2,60,000 machines have been supplied to farmers and more than 33,800 custom hiring centres created. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has mandated rent-free access to these machines for small and marginal farmers, while brick kilns and thermal plants outside the NCR have been encouraged to switch to paddy-straw biomass pellets and briquettes. These efforts, the ministry said, are aimed at cutting down open burning and promoting alternative uses of agricultural waste.
But even with these interventions, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Parliament that Delhi-NCR’s air pollution remains a “multifaceted” challenge, with stubble burning acting only as an “episodic” aggravating factor. Vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants, construction and demolition dust, waste burning, landfill fires and seasonal meteorology all play major roles, he said.
This acknowledgment signals a key shift: despite the fall in farm fires, air quality in the capital and its surrounding districts continues to be shaped by a complex mix of emissions that require sustained, sector-wide action.
The government also pointed to improvements in long-term air-quality indicators, citing 200 “good days” and fewer “very poor” or “severe” days in 2025. Yet these aggregate figures do not reflect the intense, short-duration spikes that residents experience during peak pollution episodes. Averages from monitoring stations can obscure sharp local contrasts — central Delhi may record “moderate” AQI while roadside or construction-heavy spots simultaneously reach “severe” levels, or fall outside active AQI monitoring altogether, as highlighted in a Newslaundry investigation.
Moreover, the reference period covers the entire year, not just the post-monsoon months of October and November when smog routinely worsens.
As a result, seasonal highs get diluted by cleaner-air months. Meteorological patterns — including winter wind stagnation and temperature inversions — can also make brief periods feel particularly toxic despite broader improvements.
According to the ministry’s reply, “severe” (AQI above 401) and “very poor” (301–400) days decreased from 71 in 2024 to 50 in 2025, while “good days” (below 200) rose from 110 in 2016 to 200 in 2025. But this still leaves room for many days in the “poor” category (AQI 201–300), a band the government did not mention in its parliamentary response.
Independent reporting has also shown that pollution peaks remain extremely intense: a Hindustan Times analysis found AQI readings spiking above 700 in parts of Delhi after Diwali — far beyond the “severe” threshold of 400.
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